1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for recording information on an optical disc such as a recordable or rewritable optical disc. In addition, this invention relates to a computer program for recording information on an optical disc. Furthermore, this invention relates to an optical disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a digital versatile disc recordable (DVD-R), new information can not be written over old information or previously-recorded information. Thus, new information is written on an unused area of the DVD-R while old information remains recorded on a used area thereof. The unused area means an area on which data is not recorded. The used area means a data-recorded area, that is, an area on which data has been recorded.
During the recording of main information on a DVD-R, management information is recorded and reproduced from the DVD-R to manage a used area and an unused area thereof.
DVD-Rs are of a few types including a single-layer single-sided type and a two-layer single-sided type.
Japanese patent application publication number P2002-352522A (corresponding to U.S. patent application publication number US-2002-136134-A1) discloses a typical prior-art apparatus for recording information on a DVD-R. The prior-art apparatus in Japanese application P2002-352522A is designed for a DVD-R having only one recording layer. In an assumed case where the prior-art apparatus is applied to a two-layer single-sided DVD-R, it may take a long time to search for a blank area at the time of closing a border in the DVD-R or finalizing the data recording thereon.
In addition, Japanese application P2002-352522A discloses a method of recording information on a DVD-R which is designed to enhance the reliability of data representative of recording management information. According to Japanese application P2002-352522A, data containing a first sync signal is recorded on the DVD-R and a second sync signal is recorded thereon by cutting beforehand. The method has (a) a step of recording the management information on a prescribed position in the DVD-R on the basis of the first sync signal, (b) a step of deciding whether or not the recording by the step (a) has been normally finished, and (c) a step of recording the management information on the prescribed position in the DVD-R on the basis of the second sync signal when the step (b) decides that the recording by the step (a) has not been normally finished.